The Inter-dimensional War
by warriorofDivinix
Summary: Marco and Star are sixteen years old, on the brink of admitting their feelings to each other, when tragedy in the form of an inter-dimensional war between Earth and Mewni strikes, with neither of them aware that the other survived the first assault.
1. Chapter 1

The Interdimensional War

 _History is written by the victors…_

The sky behind Castle Ludo flashed white as lightning struck the swamp beside it. A lone monster surveyed the damage with apathy. Only when a second bolt struck one of the great moss trees did the slightest curve of his lips unfold. The fire was quickly smothered by the rain and swamp water, but the monster's eyes reflected a different flame. Fires from long ago, and a hatred that had never ceased to simmer in its place.

The monster's hands clenched. It was rare of him, he thought to himself, to show outward expressions of wrath. But even a monster of Toffee's standards had to feel something when one thought of the Monster Massacre. _Mewnipendance Day._

 _Freedom._ Ah yes, Toffee remembered it well. There was a time when monsters didn't have to skulk in the shadows of the swamplands to avoid ending up on the sharp side of a lance. There was a time when monsters lived _free_ on Mewni. Yes, Toffee remembered freedom. It was a long time, but he remembered. How could he forget?

 _Liberty._ Shortly after arriving to their island, the invaders demanded more and more. Soon, it wasn't enough to share their island. They had to have war. Wielders of metal and magic, they were conquerors. Victors. _Murderers._ An amusing thought occurred to Toffee as he glanced outside, a rare moment lost in thought. What is a monster, really? Is it claws or teeth or even the color of one's skin? No. Toffee knew what a monster really was. A monster is one who could take another's home, their family, their _pride…_ Yes. The true monsters lived inside the castles as they read stories to their children about the scary creatures that lived outside.

 _Corn._ A simple treasure. Gold and sweet. Food. Sustenance. An end to hunger. Toffee shook his head. Of course _he_ had never wandered the swamp on empty stomachs, but there was something to be said for the creatures that lurked beneath him. The monsters who accepted their fate, their hunger – as if it were their misfortune to be born with scales or claws or sharp teeth. Such _sad_ creatures, really. It was almost pitiful, thinking about them. Groveling at the feet of their pathetic master, Ludo. Toffee would never grovel. He would never beg. He would always be waiting. Waiting for the time he took the mantle and turned the flames against all of Mewni.

Of course, there was one issue. Not a problem. More of a… complication, really. Magic. The accursed defense of Mewman kind. Toffee couldn't resist a wayward glance at the finger he lost so many years ago. No. It wouldn't be enough this time for a simple wand to be broken. All of Mewni… their castles. Their hopes. Their dreams…. All would be broken. All would burn. Even allied dimensions would not escape his retribution.

Lightning struck the Earth once more and Toffee smiled. Let them sleep, safe and snug inside their castles. Let them think that Toffee was just a mere bad dream. Let them sleep. Let them forget. _Surprise._ Toffee had never forgotten. He had never forgiven. He had only ever waited. For a chance, some flaw, some chink in the royal family's armor. And now… Toffee chuckled, clicking a pendant open.

Inside, a picture of Star Butterfly, laughing beside an Earth boy. Marco. No, Toffee thought. He would not be a disappointment for long. What can he say? Love burns brighter than any fire, but in the end, fire burns. And Toffee reveled in what ashes two misguided souls could bring. It was almost disappointing, really. In the end, it would never be Toffee's hand that brought the ruin of Mewni.

That honor would be Star's.


	2. Chapter 2

The sky over the Diaz house was bright clear, with only a few clouds to block the sun's full radiance. Marco found himself staring at the blue sky, wondering whether he related more to the clouds or the sunlight at the current moment. He had just broken up with Jackie. (Or had she broken up with him?) It was really confusing.

 _A few hours earlier, Marco found himself at the door of Jackie's house. His heart beat fast as he steeled himself for what he felt he must do. It wouldn't be fair, Marco reasoned, to Jackie. He loved someone else. Maybe he always had._

 _Marco made a face. Why couldn't romance come with an instruction manual? The door opens. His heart lurched. Jackie was beautiful in the blue skylight. Marco swallowed a knot._

 _"H-Hey there Jackie." Two years of dating hadn't done much for his social skills. Between the two of them, they barely made a socially adept person. Jackie always told him not to worry about it though; they balanced each other out._

 _"Hey Marco." A pop of pink bubblegum. "What's up?"_

 _"I uh, I have something I have to tell you."_

 _A raised eyebrow. "If this is about the dress, I know it was you."_

 _"That was for a friend! Besides, it's not about that. It's about… us."_

 _"And Star?" Jackie hit the nail on the head. Marco turned pink in embarrassment and shame. "You like her don't you?"_

 _"I don't know," Marco said honestly. "I think so."_

 _"You wanna break up?" Jackie leaned against the door. As always, everything was so simple, the answer was so clear to her. Even if it was painful._

 _"Yeah," Marco said. "I.. I'm sorry."_

A cloud moved past the sun, bathing Marco in warmth. Even though part of him felt down, another, greater part swelled when thoughts of Star inevitably came to the surface. Marco leaned against the window and sighed. Why couldn't things be simpler?

The phone rang, catching Marco off guard. Once assured that it was merely the household appliance firing off, he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Heyyyyy Marco." It was Star.

"Star! Oh uh, I didn't expect to hear from you." Marco could almost hear Star's eyebrows rise.

"I always call you at this time, silly. Why are you picking up this time? Don't you have a date with Jackie or something?"

"Not really," Marco said. A pause. "We broke up."

There was a good three second pause on the other end before Marco heard any response. Marco found himself holding his breath.

"Oh no! Are you okay? You're not okay are you. Are you? I'm coming over."

"No! I mean, sure. Just later, okay? I need to think for a little bit, okay?"

"Ooookay Marco. Whatever you say." The conversation ended with a _click._

Marco collapsed on the couch behind him. "What am I gonna do?" It was times like these, he thought, that he wished he knew someone to talk to. Marco's eyes drifted toward a small bone bell, almost instinctively. Tom?

Sure, he and Tom had made great strides as friends since their tumultuous first meeting and now considered each other "Bros" but was he really the best person to talk to about Star? Marco shrugged. It wasn't like he had anyone else to go to. It was demon boy or bust.

A gentle tap to the bone encased bell brought two demon charioteers sailing up to Marco's window.

"You call?"

"Yeah," Marco said. "Where's Tom?"

"Get inside."

Marco shrugged and got inside. It was surprisingly comfy, with velvet covering the surface of the seats. What was not comfortable, Marco found, was the trip down to the Underworld. One jaw-rattling fast trip down and a quick trip to the porcelain throne later, Marco found himself at the throne of the prince of Hell.

"'Sup?" Tom said.

"Hey Tom," Marco said. "Can I ask you about something?"

"Fire away," Tom said. "Let's play some ping pong while we're at it. It's been a while since I've destroyed someone, and I suppose beating you in ping pong will have the same effect."

Marco shrugged, preparing himself for a couple of demon-guided bruises. "Alright." The two made their way to the game room, just past a skeleton who was trying quite ineffectively to behead a ghost.

"So what's got your underwear in a twist?" Tom said. "Is it Jackie? Heard you two broke up."

"How did you even find out so fast?"

Tom twirled a demon-ball mid-air. "Dude, I command a legion of unholy forces. What makes you think I can't keep tabs on my friends from time to time? Plus Jackie totally already posted her relationship status as single."

Marco groaned. "It's Star."

Three eyes stare at the hovering ping pong ball for a moment. "You too huh?"

"It's kind of hard not to fall for her I guess," Marco admitted. "Are you… Do you…"

"I'm over her," Tom said. "My life counselor said I should move on. Holding on to Star was like holding on to all the anger I had. I had to let her go some time, you know?"

"When did you know it was time to move on?"

Tom's face changed to a thoughtful one as he sent the ping pong ball hurtling at Marco. "I dunno. Maybe it was when I stopped being jealous when she started talking to other guys. But if you're asking about the breakup, she's the one who broke up with me."

"Oh yeah… Well, what should I do?"

"Dude, you want me to tell you what to do? That would be like, so lame. No bro. You have to figure this out on your own. If it helps, I think she might feel the same way." Tom paused.

"You really think so?" Marco's face lit up. "But what about Jackie? Isn't it too soon?"

"Who cares? Is there really a set amount of time you're supposed to mope around and stuff? 'Sides; I thought it was mutual."

"You should really stop spying on people."

Tom shrugged. "It's what I do. You know, that and all the other stuff that goes down here."

"What exactly do you do, anyway?"

Tom shrugged. "I keep the demons in line, mostly. Keep them from causing chaos, cause chaos when needed. Just demon things."

Marco looked down at his jeans, fists tight. "I just don't know what to do. I want to be with Star, but I don't know how she feels or how she would react."

"Just ask her." Tom passed another set of unbroken paddles in Marco's direction.

"I wish I could," Marco said.

"What's stopping you?"

"Nothing, I guess. I mean, she's a princess though. And I'm just me."

"Dude, you think she cares?" Tom laughed. "Besides, I think her father is like a barbarian or something. You'd be an improvement, if anything."

"Huh. I never really thought of it that way."

"It's amazing what happens when you open up your mind. Game point." Tom sent the last ping pong ball flying at Marco's side, where it bounced off and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

"You know what?" Marco said. "I think I will."

"Good. Now go, you're embarrassing me. People might think I actually enjoy playing ping pong with you." Tom smiled and offered Marco a fist bump, which was properly bumped. "Catch you later."

"Later demon dude."

Marco's ride topside was a little less unforgiving. He found himself enjoying the ride this time instead of holding on for dear life. By the time of his return, Star was already home for their weekly tradition. "Friendship Thursdays."

"Marco!" Star started when she saw the demons roll away from the window. "There you are. Why were you hanging out with Tom without me?"

"Nothing," Marco said quickly. "Just wanted to ask him something.

"Okaaaaaay." Star smiled. "Guess what? I brought a movie for us to watch!"

"Oh cool," Marco said. "What kind?"

"Heart Crush. It's a romantic comedy," Star said. "It's about this guy who falls for his best friend but she totally doesn't know it."

"Oh." Marco fought to keep his expression under control. "Cool."

The movie ended up nicely, but with a lot of action leading up to the happy ending. The two's friendship fell apart as the guy confessed before it came together in the end. All Marco could find himself thinking about was what would happen if he and Star, like the main characters of Heart Crush, were to drift apart.

"What'cha thinking about?" Star leaned close.

Marco blushed bright red. "Nothing! I mean, do you think the guy was doing the right thing, telling the girl how he felt?"

"Well duh," Star said. "How else would they end up happily ever after together?"

"Oh." Marco closed his eyes. "Hey Star?"

"Yes Marco?" Star's eyes were unusually bright.

"I really like… That movie. Yeah. It was a good choice."

"Oh. Okay, Marco." Star seemed almost disappointed, somehow. "Maybe we can watch the sequel next week! I hear it has unicorns in it."

"Sure Star. That sounds great." Marco watched as Star waved goodbye, making her way to her room. Marco slumped forward, hands on his temples. "Smooth, Marco. Real smooth."


	3. Chapter 3

The Inter-Dimensional War Chapter 3

"Smooth Star. Real smooth." Star paced furiously around her side of the room as a small blue man watched with practiced apathy.

"You know-" Glossarick began.

"I don't need any _sage advice_ right now." Star beat her head furiously on the yellow wallpaper. Star stopped for a moment, as if in thought. "Actually…"

"Nope." Glossarick was already halfway back inside the book. "You had your chance. You want sage advice, you have to pay the price." The small keeper of the book said this in an annoying sing-song voice.

"Fine." Star stormed over to a well-used stash, her private vat of chocolate pudding, only to find it completely empty. "Glossarick!"

"It was _delicious._ But yes, you'll have to find me some more pudding. And none of the knock off brand. I'm talking the good stuff. Name brand." Glossarick blinked twice for good measure.

"Fine! But it's a little creepy you know, going through my private stash!" Star picked up her wand, wondering whether or not a chocolate pudding tidal wave spell could be found.

"I'm a small blue man living inside your room who teaches you how to use magic and the occasional life lesson. If you draw the line at pudding, my dear, you're the one with the problem." Glossarick yawned. "It's about Marco, isn't it?"

"What do you care?" Star said grumpily.

"Oh trust me, I really don't. It's just that I figure that I get to eat my pudding faster if I entice you a little bit. It's an important life skill, Star."

Star, who hadn't heard a word in her mumblings and wavy motions with the wand, cried out in triumph as a thick wave of pure, dense chocolate pudding coated the room. "There. Happy?"

"Oh yes," Glossarick said, swimming through the sea of velvety brown sweets. "Your magic is coming along quite nicely. Now what is it we were talking about?"

"We were talking about Marco!" Star marched over to where Glossarick had made a small pudding Jacuzzi with an empty bowl and a portable heater. "You know what's up. Spill."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific," Glossarick said.

"You – you know! How I – argh!" Star pulled her hair over her eyes, speaking as if in fast motion. "HowIlikeMarcoWhatdoIdoandohGodohGodwhatifhedoesn'tlikemeback."

"There we go! That wasn't so hard was it?" Glossarick smiled proudly as he stuffed his face with more chocolate. "It only took a disastrous event with a truth cube and years' worth of denial for you to finally admit it."

"You knew?" Star was aghast.

"Oh certainly, my dear. So did…" The next five minutes were spent with Glossarick recanting each individual name of the list of people who had known that Star had a crush on Marco. "Basically everyone but Diaz himself."

Star moaned with embarrassment. "What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"

Glossarick pondered this for a moment. "Well you could just tell him."

"That's a terrible idea!" Star was horrified at the thought, the very notion. "That's not at all how Heart Crush does it!"

Glossarick tipped his sunglasses down. "You take your romance advice from cheap romance films?"

"Exactly! It always works out for them in the end." Star waited for Glossarick to make his point.

"My point is, isn't there usually something catastrophically bad that happens before they do?"

Star nodded. "That's what makes it _fun_."

Glossarick shrugged. "To each their own. But if you prefer the Diaz boy show interest in you, perhaps you should make it clear that you're interested as well. He just broke up with, oh what's her name, Jacklynn?"

"Jackie."

"Jacque."

"It's Jackie."

"Potato, tomato. My point is," Glossarrick said, "he is no longer with her. That makes you free to make your move. Before someone else does."

Star's eyes grew wide. "You think that could happen?"

"Oh yes," Glossarick said. "He's hugely popular with the ladies, I hear."

"Who told you? Who are they? Where can I find them?" Star began pacing again, the occasional narwhal escaping her wand as she thought about someone hitting on Marco.

"I'm kidding." Glossarick sighed. "But really, do you expect something to come of doing nothing? As a great mewnan once said 'the early bird gets the worm.'"

"I'm pretty sure that's an Earth phrase. We don't have worms. We have space noodles." Star crossed her arms. "So what you're saying is, I should ask him out?"

"Where did you get that idea?" Glossarick took a long sip of chocolate pudding. "I was just saying that birds like to eat worms. But now that you mention it, that wouldn't be a bad idea."

"You really think so? Do you think he likes me back?"

"I don't know," Glossarick said. "Ask him yourself. Now if you excuse me, I had a food coma coming on. Don't bother me for – oh I don't know, three days."

"Three days! What if I need you?"

"You're a smart girl. I'm sure you can figure it out." Glossarick yawned theatrically. "Good night."

The book closed with a muffled thump as Glossarick disappeared between a description on scrying spells. Soon, snoring could be heard.

"Well that was pointless." There was a familiar knock on the door, leading Star to nearly jump out of her skin. "Come in!"

"Hey Star," Marco said as he stepped inside. "What's with all the pudding?"

"Oh you know. Glossarick. He um, wanted me to test out a new spell?"

"I'd say it worked," Marco said, testing out the aftermath on the walls. "It's pretty good. What was it, a chocolate pudding explosion?"

"More like a tsunami," Star said nervously. _Do I do it? What do I say? Glossarick!_

"That's cool." Marco appeared lost in thought. "So uh, there's a thing at this place. You wanna go?"

"Absolutely!" Star's heart leapt up. Was this what she thought it was?

"I mean you don't have to if you don't want to," Marco continued. "But I thought, since we hang out together anyways, maybe we could - wait, what did you say?"

Star forced herself to appear calm while a rainbow geyser was currently streaming from her wand. "Is this a uh, um."

"A date," Marco said, eyes sealed shut. "Star, do you want to go bowling? Just the two of us?"

"YES!" Star shouted, doing a victory dance on the ceiling. "I mean, that would be fun."

Marco looked as though he may pass out, but grinning all the while. "Oh. Thanks. I mean, great! See you at the bowling alley, say tomorrow at five?"

"Sure!" The two stood there awkwardly. "You sure Jackie won't mind?" Star asked at last.

"She's cool with it," Marco said. "I'll uh, I'll see you there. Bye. Later." Marco slid outside in what may have been the most awkward exit he had ever made, but neither cared. Star flew up to the ceiling, her wings somehow finding the strength to hold her up for a solid six seconds before she came crashing down.

"Ooph." Star checked to see if Marco was still there, and sighed in relief when she saw he wasn't. She popped open the secret pen section of her wand, scribbling madly in her diary. A huge smile covered her face.

Elsewhere, a different entity was smiling. His was slight, a curvature of the lips that you'd have to check to see if it was still there. He adjusted his suit, making his way through the halls of the former Castle Ludo.

Toffee stopped as a picture of a woman with jet black hair stared down at him. He touched the picture gently, fervently. "I won't fail you, mother." He closed his eyes, a more deranged grin taking the place of the calmer persona he had perfected.

In his hands was a diagram. In it, a small blue man, a gem, and what appeared to be two orbs – planets – pocketed with signs of conflict. He covered up the man in blue, and stared at the picture of the gem with ravenous intent.

"Soon."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note** : Hey everyone! Sorry for the sporadic updates. Life kind of got in the way, but I'll do my best to update on a more regular basis from here on out. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! Seriously, you make my day whenever I see a new review. It helps keep me motivated to write this story. And without further ado, here's chapter 4!

The Inter-Dimensional War Chapter 4

Toffee smiled as he read the report. It was contained within a small white envelope, carefully slit open, its contents having been delicately removed already. It was bare, save for the illegible monster scrawl that Toffee had given up attempting to translate. It was the picture that was important. A teenaged Mewman girl dressed up, leaving a room beside her Earth friend. They were poised to leave an unattended house and an unattended book. Really, it was almost too easy. While Star would be enjoying her last moments with the Marco boy, he, Toffee would take the book.

Toffee stood up, adjusting his tie. He had a declaration of war that needed his attendance and it would not do to appear sloppy.

 _ **One Week Earlier**_

On Mewni, the royal family stood surrounded by the austere faces of the Magic Council. Even the normally cheerful Chancellor Lekmet wore a grave expression. King River and Queen Moon stood in the center of the meeting, hands gripping the sides of their throne chairs tightly.

"I don't expect you to like it," Hekapoo, the redheaded mistress of dimensional travel, said. "But I do expect you to face the reality of the situation. Magic is running out. I haven't made a fully functional pair of interdimensional scissors in weeks.

"I understand," Moon said with a tint of irritation. "But what does that have to do with us? I don't mean to be critical, but is it not the Magic Council's duty to preside over magic related manners not directly related to the wand?"

"We came to offer a solution," Omnitraxus Prime said, the tips of his ethereal fingers mashed together nervously. "But we need the permission of the military to go through with it."

"I don't like the sound of this," River said, glancing at his wife. "What does the military have to do with anything?"

"As it stands sir," Rhombulus said nervously, "magic is a finite resource. The kingdom of Mewni is using it up. At this rate, there won't be any left soon."

"Merrrgh," Lekmet added.

"Earth?" Moon replied incredulously. "What does the Earth dimension have anything to do with this?"

"If you would start thinking with your head instead of letting your emotions cloud your heart," Hekapoo stated, "you'd see what we're getting at."

A fist slammed down on the table the encompassed the group. Food flew in all manners of directions and the cutlery bounced off their napkins. The group turned to face River, the source of the commotion.

"River dear," Moon said, "calm yourself. Whatever is the matter?"

River glared at Hekapoo. Years on the battlefield hardened his stare. Years spent making difficult decisions in leading his army allowed him the clarity to see what Moon refused to. "You wish to take Earth's latent magic." It wasn't a question.

"I'm sure this is a misunderstanding," Moon said. "Surely nothing as rash as that is necessary."

"Actually," Hekapoo said, "your husband is correct. Earth is an unexplored territory as far as the use of magic goes. I don't see what the problem is. We'd be taking a resource they don't use anyway."

"You can't do that!" Moon turned her anger at the de facto proponent of the plan, Hekapoo. "The transfer of a dimension's magic is a large-scale operation. Who knows what kind of effects it would have upon the Earth planet? Not to mention any resistance we could meet at the hands of its government."

"Earth government is a splintered and fractured thing," Omitraxis said offhandedly. "And even if they do come together to oppose us, we have something they don't."

"Magic," Hekapoo said with a glint in her eye. "Like it or not, we need their magic. Our whole way of life revolves around it. We need to make a decision."

The royal pair looked at each other desperately, then back at the Magic Council. "Give us time to think about it," Moon requested. "Just give us one week."

"One week," Hekapoo promised, cutting a hole in the dimension for the rest of the Council to leave through. "But no longer. I expect an answer then."

Moon and River could only watch as the Council left them. "What do we do?" River said.

"I don't know," said Moon honestly. "But we have to do something."

Marco was having a difficult time deciding what to do with his hands. They hung by his sides loosely, occasionally brushing up against Star's, who seemed to inch closer to his than what he deemed normal. After another electric tingle brought upon by their skin brushing against each other, he sighed.

The time was 5:05 and he was on the way to the bowling alley with a magical princess, his best friend, and his current date. Despite it being one of the cooler days of the Summer, he was sweating bullets. And by the looks of it, Star was too.

"Hey uh Marco," Star said, lightheartedly punching him in the shoulder. "Want to talk about something?" She looked down nervously.

 _What if this was a mistake, Star thought to herself. What if he doesn't actually like me? Oh no! What if he found out that I like him and he just asked me out to not hurt my feelings! What do I do? What do I do?_

"Uh Star?" Marco gently took her hand away from her hair, which she was currently pulling out. "It's okay. It's just me, the Safe Kid." Star noticed with a slight blush that he did not let go of her hand.

"Okay, Safe Kid," Star said. "Let's go destroy some bowling alleys!"

"Star? You do know how to bowl right?"

"Of coooooourse I do, Marco! You throw the ball and see how much damage you can do with it. Why else do they give you such heavy balls?"

"Oh boy." Marco launched into a quick explanation of the art of bowling, forgetting about the awkwardness they both felt a few minutes ago and that they were holding hands. It was just like going out with Jackie, Marco thought, then looked at Star's face, enraptured by the squeaky shoes they were given. On second thought, he said to himself, it's better.

"They slide!" Star was doing her best to slide ten feet with a running start once she had secured the slippery shoes. "Come on Marco, slide down the lane with me. We'll be sure to get the pins if we go together!"

"Wait! Star, we'll get kicked out if we do that. Here, watch this." Marco picked up a bowling ball, placed three fingers inside the holes, leaned back, tongue sticking out in concentration. He leaned forward, letting his ball go with the force of a wrecking ball, watching as it collided with the pins.

"Ooooooooh," Star said. "Me likey. Let me try!"

Soon, their alley was filled with flying balls (sometimes literally) that zoomed toward the unsuspecting white pins at the end of their lane. The two laughed at each other when they missed the pins and took turns renaming each other on the screen.

"So Princess Bon Qui Qui," Marco said, "What do you say we get some ice cream?"

"I don't know, Prince Taquito," Star said happily. "What do you want?"

"Well," Marco said, face flushed. His eyes seemed to gravitate toward her lips. "I guess we could…" He was interrupted when Star pulled him by the jacket and smashed her lips against his.

It was quick, but exhilarating. "Wow." Marco grinned. "We should do that more."

"Whatever you say, Safe Kid," Star said, leaning in. As she did, something caught her eye. It was a large tear in the dimension, stretching across the entire ceiling of the bowling alley.

"What the…." Star took out her wand. "What's going on?"

She never got an answer. As soon as the words left her lips, there was a great wrenching sound as everything started being sucked into the portal. Marco's arms flailed as Star reached out to catch him. Her fingers wrapped around the ends of his fingers, sweaty hands slipping as the force of the portal's pull threatened to drag Marco away.

"Don't let go!" Star reached for his other hand, but was briefly knocked back as a chair slammed into her on its way to the portal. Marco slipped away, floating up and toward the grim eclipse of the other dimension.

Their eyes met. Nothing was said, but in his eyes, Star found Marco telling her "it's not your fault." She gripped her wand, frantically searching for a spell to drag him back, but it was too late. The portal closed on Marco into the void. The rest of the bowling alley was in tatters, but none of that mattered to Star. Where was Marco? What had happened?

"I have to find him," Star vowed aloud.

"You won't be able to," a silky voice told her. She didn't have to look up to realize who it came from. She gripped her wand, coldly pointing it at Toffee's chest.

"What do you mean? Tell me where he is RIGHT NOW or I'll put a hole through your chest!"

"I had nothing to do with this," Toffee said. "Believe me. The Mewmans need magic. That was just their way of taking it. It's happening all over the world, right now. Marco isn't the only one to have been killed by it."

"Killed?" Star went numb, the hand holding the wand, limp. "No. No no no,, this has to be a mistake. Here, I'll summon him. This always works." She took a fragment of the mirror found in her room and said Marco' name. Nothing showed up but a black screen. "Marco Diaz!" she repeated, louder this time. The blank screen remained resolutely black.

"What did you do?" Star hissed.

"I told you," Toffee said. "The Magic Council needed to restore your world's dwindling magic supply. That wormhole was just one of the many they sent to do just that."

"They would never – they couldn't!" Star shook her head. "They would need my Mom and Dad's permission for something like that."

"And yet…." Toffee spread his hands out as if to display the scale of destruction before them.

Star no longer felt numb. Star grew cold at the thought of never seeing Marco again. Angry. Hatefully so. "My parents did this?"

"Oh yes," Toffee said. "I came here to tell you before it was too late. We may be enemies, but even the Diaz boy didn't deserve that fate. I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now. Angry. Confused, resentful. Why, no one could blame you if you wanted revenge."

"Revenge," Star muttered, her wand turning a sickly green color.

Toffee put his hand on her shoulder and smiled when she would not look at his face. "Come child. We have work to do."


	5. Chapter 5

The darkness was everywhere. It was like his eyes were tightly closed, despite him having had opened them a while ago, unable to shut them in his terror. The void dragged him to the far reaches of outer space, where he knew instinctively that he would meet his death. Just before he met the end, his arm tingled, almost as if having fallen asleep. The void twisted and contorted, hurtling him against a vibrant green landscape.

Marco rubbed the back of his head gingerly as his senses caught up to him. His eyes widened at the memory of a bowling alley in the state of mid-destruction, the terrified face of his best friend as she desperately tried to hold on to him. "Star!" He looked around frantically. Was Star OK? And where was he?

Wherever he was, there sure seemed to be a lot of vines. And plants. And teeth. Plants with teeth. Wait a minute… Marco eyed a plant that resembled an overgrown venus fly trap, sure he had seen it before.

"Are you lost?" Marco jumped as he heard someone speak. It was soft, almost demure, yet definitely male. Marco looked around to see the source of the voice, but found nothing.

"You can say that," Marco said. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Forest of Certain Death," the voice said with a tint of laughter. "How did you get this far in without realizing where you were?"

Great. Marco groaned as he assessed the situation, but immediately perked up afterward. "Are we on Mewni?"

There was a shuffling sound before the presumed owner of the voice stepped forward. He had long legs, wings, and most disturbingly… a face that was eerily reminiscent of Ludo. "Who are you?" the creature asked. "Are you not from here?"

"No," Marco said. "I'm looking for my friend. She's blonde and has a demon-horn headband. You'd probably know who I'm talking about if she's in the area."

"No," the monster said regrettably. "I haven't seen anyone like that around here. My name's Dennis. What's yours?"

"It's Marco."

"Marco? Well, it's good to meet you I guess, Marco. We should probably get out of here before it gets too dark."

Marco nodded in assent. "Lead the way."

The two walked through the forest, dodging the odd carnivorous plant or man/bird -eating beast. Marco found himself looking at the back of Dennis's head, imagining it was Ludo's instead. He jumped as Dennis' head swiveled to meet his eyes.

"Do I remind you of someone?" Dennis asked.

"Err, sort of." Marco said. "How much longer until we're out of this place?"

"Not long," Dennis promised. "I will take you to my home for the night. I hope you like worm porridge."

Marco laughed nervously, hoping that it was a joke. Somehow, he knew it wasn't. As they made the clearing that marked the end to the forest, a large shack came into view.

"Home." Dennis led Marco inside, where he became the instant object of interest for at least five other bird-monsters.

"Dennis?" a tall, female monster asked. "Is that a friend of yours?"

"Not really," Marco answered for him. "He was helping me get through the forest."

"Is that so?" The large, male bird-monster harrumphed. "Well, he's late for dinner. So are you. What were you doing there anyway, Dennis?"

"I was looking for Ludo, father." Dennis' head looked down. "I know he's out there somewhere."

"Forget about him," Dennis' father said irritably. "The boy's a disappointment. A runt. Weak. He betrayed us and took a castle which he promptly lost to a more dangerous monster."

Marco felt his hands tighten almost imperceptibly. Ludo had a family? And here he was, standing amidst them? Did they know what his relation to Ludo was? Certainly, Dennis didn't. Otherwise he never would have agreed to help him out of the forest.

"He's my older brother," Dennis protested. "I can't just leave him alone."

"Do what you want. I'm going to bed." Dennis' father lumbered upstairs. "Don't be too loud."

Marco looked around him, where Ludo's family prepared their nests without any care that he, a stranger, was there. "Hey, not to be a bother, but could you tell me how to get to the castle of Mewni?"

One of Dennis' siblings stopped to look at him funnily. "You're not a Mewman, are you?"

"No," Marco assured the monster. "I just need to find my friend. I think she might be there."

"I can take you," Dennis said suddenly, right behind Marco. "But I want to show you around first."

"Is that really necessary?" Marco asked, looking around the limited space of the house. "I think I've seen everything there is to see."

"Not here," Dennis said. "About the monster world. I think I know who you are. And I think you might be able to help us."

"Help you? What for?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Marco remembered the stories of Mewnipendence Day.

"You'll see," Dennis promised him. "You can sleep beside my nest if you want. There's plenty of straw if you want to make your own."

"I'll just sleep on the floor. Thank you though."

Marco wandered outside the house, having been told that he could come back inside provided he was quiet about it. Outside, the stars twinkled and shone brightly against the night sky. A comet sailed by, prompting Marco to make a wish, something he hadn't done in years.

"Star, wherever you are… be safe, alright? I'm coming to find you." Marco looked around self-consciously before adding "I love you," quietly, under his breath.

Marco looked up at the sky through one of the windows, fighting the urge to run back through the forest in a mad attempt to find Star. Be patient, Marco told himself. I just have to take a look around this place and then I'll be on my way to Star's home. Marco closed his eyes, dreaming of a quick return to his princess.


End file.
